If you’ve been paying attention the Suicide Squad has been very closely aligned with the Superman hijinks in other books. With General Zod in the possession of Amanda Waller there’s a very powerful weapon capable of stopping a threat of Superman levels. Zod also gives this team a god-like level of power they aren’t accustomed to. Now, add in the sloppy fighting style and insanity of Harley Quinn and you have something truly different. This issue progresses that story as the team attempts to break into Lex Luthor’s vault. No biggy!
So what’s it about? The official summary reads:
“EARTHLINGS ON FIRE” part one! Amanda Waller is used to getting what she wants—but this time, what Waller wants is something only Lex Luthor has. Striking a deal won’t be easy—or cheap! It’s a war on two fronts as Waller leads a smoldering charm offensive in Luthor’s penthouse while her Suicide Squad tries to open the most heavily guarded safe in all of Lexcorp.
Why does this book matter?
Rob Williams has been writing quite a good series with big moments, interesting backstory reveals, and most importantly he’s made this team feel more relevant than ever. This issue is also a full story without any backups, which allows he and Tony S. Daniel to progress things nicely.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Is someone getting in the mood for love?
This issue breaks down between Lex and Amanda Waller playing a game of mental cat and mouse, and the Suicide Squad attempting to fight through Lex’s security. Given the caliber of Lex Luthor that’s no easy journey for our team and Williams does a good job putting a varied amount of threats against them. He also writes solid character banter which comes complete with some funky foibles and twists; one of which is Boomerang losing an arm when the team portaled over. This allows Boomerang and the team to comment on the rather outrageous situation whilst fighting.
In a bit of a surprise, Enchantress ends up getting more dialogue and purpose in this mission, which is a nice stray from the usual focus on Harley and others. She’s pretty freaking scary and weird in this one too, which helps remind us she’s a magical wildcard that most should be scared of.
Daniel does a bangup job on art, keeping the action flowing, and the quieter Waller/Lex moments honest. There’s a sexual tension between the two that Daniel nails, which is pretty darn solid considering how subtle it needs to be. A gentle caress of a hand, a smirk, it’s all there even when the dialogue isn’t pointing us in that direction. Enchantress looks great as her creepy, smokey self in this one with a fantastic reveal of a disgusting…thing she pulls out of nowhere. Again, Daniel nails this moment.
Fight!
It can’t be perfect can it?
If it’s all about the journey this is a solid issue, but those of you who find twist endings to be annoying might be annoyed by this one. I won’t spoil things, but Williams drops a surprise that effectively makes the battling moot. That said, their banter is well worth a look.
Is It Good?
This is a fun team issue with great banter and a mission that leads to a very important detail moving forward. The surprise however, is Lex and Waller having something of a romantic attraction which is quite a fun wrinkle.
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